


When We Both Have No One

by nickyz



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Dimension Travel, Falling In Love, Grief/Mourning, Hospitals, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Post-Canon, a bunch of made up science by someone who's bad at math, rating is because of injuries, yuugi is an endless well of giving and he really should take a break
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29190858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nickyz/pseuds/nickyz
Summary: kaiba returns from his interdimensional visit to the pharaoh, and yuugi is there to witness the aftermath.
Relationships: Atem/Kaiba Seto (one-sided), Atem/Mutou Yuugi (one-sided), Kaiba Seto/Mutou Yuugi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

Pouring over papers and expense lists was not an unfamiliar job for the youngest Kaiba brother- he had taken up the position of Seto's right-hand man years ago, after Death-T's failure and Seto's subsequent comatose episode. However, he had never dealt with it all on his own- they always worked as a team, Seto shouldering the heavier workload, claiming Mokuba was still too young to be working as much as Seto did. Even if Seto himself was only a young adult.

Now, here Mokuba was, in a chair far too big for him, with a desk of equal large dimensions. Upon it lay countless  _ Blue-Eyes White Dragon _ merchandise, including some things Mokuba had hand-made himself, like a little business card holder. He stared at the items sadly, peeking around his giant stacks of papers that his exhausted brain was having trouble even turning into legible words anymore. With a groan he smacked his head off the desktop, making the little dragons all around him wiggle dangerously. His long black hair splayed around him like a halo of ink.

The office door slid open. Mokuba groaned. "...Young Master Mokuba?" A voice interrupted his moping, and he didn't bother even lifting his head to see which employee it was. It didn't matter. 

"Yes?" His voice was scratchy and dry. He tasted stale coffee and wondered when the last time he had something actually hydrating was. Cup noodles spilled out of the white trashcan next to him, littering the floor. The employee had enough sense to not say anything pertaining to that.

"We're picking up signals of a dimensional disturbance," the man said hesitantly, and Mokuba felt his heart do a couple flips in his chest. His head shot up, hands balling into fists. "We believe Master Seto is attempting to return." 

His misery forgotten in seconds, Mokuba bolted out from behind Seto's desk, his eyes just as wild as his hair. "Can you assist him?!"

The employee nodded. "The professors are doing all they can to help him cross back into our dimension... but he has not made any  _ direct _ contact." 

Mokuba swallowed the bile threatening to rise up out of his throat. Seto not making direct contact could mean nothing, but it could also mean  _ everything. _ None of this had been tested prior to him using it, they had no way of knowing if a human could withstand the strain of both leaving  _ and  _ returning to this dimension. They don’t even know if he made it to the Pharaoh in the first place!  _ What if he's dead?  _ A little voice nagged in the back of Mokuba's head, and he hated that he couldn't immediately prove it wrong. It was Duelist Kingdom all over again. "I… I want to see my brother." 

The man stepped aside and gestured for Mokuba to go ahead of him. "Yes, sir."

* * *

The chamber reserved for dimensional travel testing was in shambles. Hundreds of men and women running to and fro, pressing buttons and flicking switches, yelling over radios… off to the side, medics were already lined up and waiting, no doubt prepared for any dire situation. The quick reaction time was worthy of praise, but Mokuba couldn't bring himself to say anything positive right now. He was far too focused on the distortion surrounding their giant elevator into space, signaling a dimensional rift beginning to form. He could only see it through the brief moments of clarity the cameras had, otherwise being lost to messy static. Mokuba approached the control center.

“Young Master Mokuba,” the researcher leaning over the tech greeted him with a bow. He recognized her, she was one of the higher-ups in this section of KaibaCorp. No name came to mind, though. "He's starting to break through, and so are we. We're meeting him halfway, as he cannot return on his own."

"So it  _ was _ a failure," Mokuba hissed, his teeth clenching as he slammed a fist on the cold metal. The information displayed on the monitors here was borderline unreadable for him, and he hated it. If he understood it, he could figure out if Seto was okay. 

"There's nothing we can do about it now, except face it head on," the woman sighed. Mokuba suspected she was as displeased as him. Seto was the only one in favor of launching the project before it could reasonably be deemed safe. So much research gone to waste, as the pod would definitely be destroyed in the return trip.

"I understand. Please, do your best." He sighed and turned away, hands clasped behind his back. He felt her sad gaze burning into his back. 

"Of course, Young Master Mokuba." 

He scowled and broke into a sprint, tears stinging his eyes. He didn't need  _ pity, _ what he  _ needed  _ was his damn brother back in  _ one piece _ !  _ Alive _ would be pretty  _ fucking _ sweet, too, but beggars can't be choosers! 

"I'm going to lose it," Mokuba said breathlessly, burying his palms against his eyeballs hard enough for it to cause mild pain. Just _thinking_ about Seto trying desperately to travel back home, only to get stuck between dimensions, had him stressed enough to develop gray hairs on the spot. When he was this upset about something, Seto was always there for him, but now… _yeah._ _Who else do I know that is used to weird shit like this?_ Mokuba thought, his fingers tapping against his forearms as he crossed them. He _did_ know someone, he realized- it just wasn't someone his brother was particularly fond of. _Well, he can just deal with it,_ Mokuba huffed in his head angrily, _it’s payback for leaving me alone for so long._ Reaching into his pocket and digging out his phone, he navigated to the number given to him once long ago in case of emergency, but never actually used. _Hope I’m not interrupting anything important_ , he thought as his finger pressed the _call_ button with an outrageous amount of trembling.

* * *

Yuugi was in the middle of inching out a very delicate  _ Jenga  _ block, his friends all around the table holding their breath. His steady, surgeon-like hands were an advantage in this game, even with Jonouchi blowing on the tower to try and send it falling. He nearly had the damn piece out when his phone started to blare the most horrifying alarm noise known to man in his jean pocket. Tiny projectiles rained down all around them as Yuugi jerked and upset the balance, but everyone was too focused on the noise to care about that.

"W-What the hell is that?!" Jonouchi cried, jumping up from his kneeling position on the floor like there was a fire. It wasn't an unreasonable reaction, it  _ was _ a pretty loud noise. His other friends began getting up too, looking around in fear. Yuugi held up his hands.

"It's my phone, it's okay!" He said quickly, reaching for his phone and unlocking the screen.  _ Incoming call from ☆Baby Kaiba☆.  _ Right…  _ that's  _ what he'd set Mokuba's name and ringtone as, so he'd know exactly who it was. Too bad he forgot anyways. Pressing his finger to his lips to motion for the group to be quiet, he swiped to answer. "Hello?" 

" _ Hi, Yuugi-san, how fast can you get to Kaibacorp? _ " Mokuba sounded breathless, and it set Yuugi on edge instantly. Something wasn't right. 

"...Give me fifteen," he answered at first, already trying to locate where he tossed his sneakers. He saw Jonouchi dangling his car keys with a positively devious smirk and a raised eyebrow. Seems his friends could hear the call in the silence of the room. "Actually, let's lower that to ten." Jonouchi pumped his fist and whispered a  _ yes!  _

" _ Great, thanks-"  _ Sudden white noise began to drown out Mokuba's young voice, and Yuugi listened in horror as he heard yelling, Mokuba screaming curses, and hellish otherworldly sounds that he couldn’t even describe. The connection fizzled out, and Yuugi was left with a dropped call lingering on his screen. 

"Jonouchi-kun," Yuugi deadpanned.

"Yeah?"

"Drive as fast as you can without killing us." 

" _ Fuck  _ yes!"  


* * *

Yuugi and the rest arrived at the KaibaCorp manor at record speeds. It was probably even less than ten minutes, if the frazzled appearance of the group as they all got out of the car was anything to go by. 

“My head’s spinning,” Otogi whined, stumbling as he was pushed out so those behind him could exit too. “He’s worse than Mai-chan.” 

“Jonouchi-kun is a force to be reckoned with on the roads,” Yuugi groaned, holding a hand on his stomach and trying not to puke. Jonouchi, smugly, left the vehicle with absolutely no problem. Yuugi blew his fringe out of his eyes, and stood up straight. “Alright- we  _ need _ to go. How fast can you all run?”

At that, Anzu bent down and started removing her heeled boots. Ryou tightened the jacket tied around his waist, and Otogi pushed his bangs behind his ears. Yuugi grinned at them all, and they grinned back. He took off into the fastest sprint his tiny legs could muster up, shoes pounding on the pavement. Remembering Mokuba’s clear panic, and thinking of what could possibly be wrong, sent him running faster than he ever had in his whole life. Adrenaline was coursing through him like a drug, and he heard some shouts of encouragement as he outran even the athletic Jonouchi. The outer and inner doors of KaibaCorp were held wide open already, Mokuba probably alerted the guards to open them whenever they saw Yuugi arrive, and he shouted “Thank you!” as he passed by them. 

As they tore down the pristine, twisting halls of the mansion, he glanced back to see Jonouchi now carrying Otogi and Honda carrying Ryou- they must not have been able to keep up, but Anzu was doing just fine.  _ She is a dancer after all _ , Yuugi chuckled to himself. His own feet were starting to hurt because he’d thrown on the first shoes he could find, which were his leather studded ones that sucked when doing heavy movement. He had more than enough lasting blister scars from when he got stuck wearing them during Battle City. 

Navigating this place was like trying to solve a maze, so his friends were no doubt relying entirely on him to lead the way, since he had the best memory. He only briefly glanced at signs and labels to figure out where he was going, the printed words nearly a blur. Mokuba had texted him prior to the call, showing which way to go once inside, and he’d studied it during the quick, bumpy car ride. It was kind of funny how Mokuba  _ knew  _ he would agree to come over. 

“I think we’re almost there?!” He shouted so his friends could hear him. His chest hurt.

“You  _ think _ ?!” Anzu sputtered angrily, clutching her boots to her chest. Yuugi nervously glanced around, trying to find...  _ there!  _ A blue arrow with the words  _ RESEARCH LAB  _ written beneath it, that’s what Mokuba told him to look for last. He confidently led his friends that way, and it didn’t take them very long to reach the large steel doors.

“ _ Mokuba _ !!” Yuugi yelled, pounding on the door only to immediately pull his fist back with an  _ ouch!  _ There were no handles on it, just a security lock that seemed to be a retina scan. They couldn’t get in with that. 

“Move over, Yuugi-kun,” Jonouchi said and rolled up his sleeve, as if he were going to punch the solid steel. Yuugi reached to stop him. Instead he kicked it, making a loud  _ clang  _ and surely alerting someone inside that they had some guests. Everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows. “What? Did you think I was gonna  _ punch  _ it? I’m not that stupid!”

Yuugi opted to ignore him, instead pressing his palms and ear against the door when a few moments passed and no one had come to open it. He could only hear the mechanical  _ whirrs _ the circuitry inside of it was making, so it must be soundproof. Damn. Flustered and frustrated, Yuugi whipped out his phone, intent on calling Mokuba back. 

"Guys…" Ryou spoke up, his voice shaking. Yuugi didn't hear him as he opened the keypad, only having time to see that there was no signal before something  _ exploded _ , shaking the whole building and sending the previously sealed-tight doors flying. Jonouchi, Honda, and Otogi all dove on top of the group, shielding them from the rush of air pressure. Beneath the ringing in Yuugi’s ears, Anzu was screaming, and Jonouchi was swearing on top of where he was crushing Yuugi to the hard floor. 

As soon as Yuugi felt his hair stop blowing, he forced Jonouchi off of him. He grabbed Anzu’s hand and pulled her out, too, steadying her as she coughed. They were all covered in a thin layer of white debris dust, as parts of the ceiling had fallen from the force of the quake, but otherwise unharmed. Yuugi rubbed some off his cheek, then, with a determined expression, stepped through the doorway.

Saying the scene inside was chaotic would be… an understatement. Medics were  _ everywhere,  _ and some scientists were trapped beneath machinery and other debris they weren’t quick enough to get away from. Alarms were blaring, and red lights flashed so much that it hurt his eyes. Yuugi turned to his side to see Jonouchi, and without words, they both nodded to one another. It was time to do some rescuing. Jonouchi and Honda split off into a pair to move some of the heavier stuff, while Ryou and Otogi went to assist those who were free of the rubble but still too injured to walk or crawl. Anzu stayed by Yuugi’s side, and he grabbed her hand again just so he wouldn’t lose her in the mob of people. His priority was finding Mokuba- the boy was young and small, Yuugi didn’t want to think of what injury he’d sustain if he got hit by something too. 

“Mokuba!!” He cried, cupping a hand around his mouth. Anzu did the same. 

“ _ Yuugi _ !” A voice distantly answered on his third shout. It sounded to be coming from the very center of the room, which was the most destroyed, so the explosion must have occurred there. That meant Mokuba was stuck in ground zero, and Yuugi shuddered. Anzu held a hand to her mouth. 

“Anzu,” Yuugi grabbed his best friend by the shoulders, looking her dead in the eyes. She was shocked at the resolute confidence there, something she’d only seen in… “Stay here. It’s dangerous to be that close to the center, and you already aren’t wearing shoes.” 

“Are you sure?” She fretted, grabbing one of his wrists when he went to leave her. “What if something happens?  _ You _ would be in danger, too.”

“I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with death,” he sighed, remembering the countless Shadow Games that almost claimed his life. “Plus, I’ve got someone on the other side looking out for me already, don’t I?” 

“Yuugi…” She frowned, but let go of his wrist. 

“Thank you.”

The journey to the center was rough. He had to climb over plenty of piles of debris and sharp metal, scratching up his hands and legs, but he didn’t care. The shouts of what people were saying were also less muddled here, and he strained to hear all of them.

_ “Call an ambulance!” _

__ _ “Get him out of there, break it open! Don’t worry about expenses!” _

__ _ “Young Master Mokuba, what are your orders?!” _

If Mokuba was alright enough to be giving orders, that eased the weight on Yuugi’s shoulders exponentially. He climbed over ceiling rubble and lept blindly over fallen structures, not knowing where he would land and if it would be stable enough to hold his weight. Sometimes he rocked dangerously, other times his feet were firmly on the ground. Overall, he was clumsy, and not as aware of his surroundings as he should be. On a section of the floor that had come loose and been pushed upwards, he misjudged just how far off the ground he was. He tried to slide down the steep angle, then realized far too late that he was several feet up, and that landing was going to  _ hurt _ . 

He did his very best to roll when he made contact with solid ground instead of trying to land on his feet, because that would just shatter his legs, but the impact was still harsh and he felt his skull take a pretty large portion of the force as it whacked off the floor. That… was  _ not _ good, but he was still conscious, so he was fine for now. There were other things to worry about, like... “Mokuba!!”

“Yuugi!” The younger Kaiba’s voice was much closer now, and Yuugi dizzily stood up. The room intermittently flashing red aggravated his vertigo, and he struggled to stay upright. He weakly yelled for the child again, and seconds later, he felt small hands steadying him. He smiled. “Oh my god, what happened? Did you get hit by something? Are you okay?”

“I-I’m good,” Yuugi stuttered, despite the blood starting to run down the side of his face. His out-of-focus eyes created three Mokuba’s in front of him, all staring with eyes as wide as saucers. “Where’s… Where’s your brother?”

Mokuba grimaced, then pointed to their left. A large, futuristic pod was lying half-buried in the floor in the center of the room, with medics and other KaibaCorp employees surrounding it. The glass on top was shattered, and they were dragging something… no,  _ someone _ out of the hole. Yuugi’s heart dropped out of his very body, and without thinking his legs started moving. Mokuba protested as Yuugi forced the other’s hands to let go of his shirt, but he didn’t care. 

He pushed and shoved his way through the people, who, upon seeing his signature wild hair, parted as much as they could. They sensed something was going on, even if they didn’t entirely know  _ what _ . His gait was wobbly and he almost fell over several times, but he couldn’t stop. A stretcher was already waiting by the pod’s side, so Yuugi made his way to that, and watched as the limp, nearly lifeless body of his rival was lowered down onto it. All the feeling left his limbs. His heart felt like it had stopped beating. He couldn’t look away as the medics strapped Kaiba in and ran off with him as soon as they knew he wouldn’t fall. He only got one close look at Kaiba, while they were securing an oxygen mask to his pale face. Boney, exhausted, and battered, he looked like he’d gone to hell and back. 

Yuugi was very, very dizzy all of a sudden, and he reached for his head. His hand came away covered in blood, and it was also shaking. With a delirious grin, he wondered what Atem would do if he saw Yuugi like this- no doubt he’d be freaking out, asking if Yuugi was okay, offering to take over so Yuugi wouldn’t have to feel the pain. “Sorry,” He apologized softly, just in case his friend was watching right now, and then promptly collapsed to the floor like a ragdoll. His world turned black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahaha sorry for the cliffhanger


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yuugi wakes up

_ Sunlight beat down from the blue sky above, warming the just-waking Yuugi's skin to an uncomfortable level. Soft sand shifted beneath him, catching in the folds of his clothes and making him itchy. The air was sweltering, and Yuugi was far too overdressed for it in his black button-up and gray slacks. His eyes struggled to open, glued together with the desire to go back to sleep. He ached everywhere, but when he pushed himself onto his hands and looked for the blood that should surely be staining his skin, he found none. He cast a dark shadow on the light sand, and he was so disoriented he almost greeted it… but no one lived in that shadow anymore.  _

__ _ An additional silhouette appeared beside his own, towering and lanky, unnaturally so. Yuugi blinked just in case he was imagining it, but it stayed where it was. “Yuugi Mutou,” A deep, smooth voice spoke his name, and he sat on his knees to turn around. Above him, the source of the second shadow, stood a tall man with bronze skin and piercing blue eyes shadowed by bangs. He  _ knew _ that face... _

__ _ “ _ Kaiba-kun? _ ” Yuugi asked dumbly, rubbing his eyes. His voice was husky from his nap, and the words echoed in the space around them, being thrown right back at him. It was all very mystical. The man shook his head, a slight breeze ruffling the long white robe around his legs.  _

__ _ “You do not know of me, but I know of you," he spoke in a language that was pointedly not Japanese, but Yuugi could understand him anyways. "I have observed you, and your world, for millennia.” He continued, then held out a hand adorned with gold. Yuugi took it with barely disguised awe, and he was yanked to his feet by impressive strength. He squinted as sunlight caught on the gold jewelry and burned his eyes. “You should not be here.”  _

__ _ “ _ Where is… here?”  _ Yuugi asked. They were standing in an endless desert, with nothing around for miles. The only thing to see was the sand blowing by as it was kicked up by the wind. Something about it was familiar. Welcoming. Yuugi didn't want to leave, yet. _

__ _ “A land between the living and the dead," The man replied, "purgatory if you will.” He flourished a hand, and the Millennium Rod appeared in his palm. Yuugi's heart skipped a beat. "I sensed you arriving here, and now, I will send you back.”  _

__ _ “ _ W-Wait,”  _ Yuugi begged, holding up his hands. The stranger tipped his head. “ _ Do… you know  _ mou hi _ \- I mean, Atem?"  _ He stumbled through his sentence, remembering at the last second to use his departed partner's actual name.  _ "You seem like… someone he would have known.”

_ The man was silent for a moment, his features unreadable. Then, he nodded. “I do, and he is well,” he allowed himself a small, reassuring smile. It was anything but, for Yuugi, whose face fell.  _

"Is he here?!"  _ Desperation filled Yuugi's voice, and he grabbed the other's shoulders.  _ "Please, I want to see him, I miss him so much,"  _ Yuugi sobbed, tears filling his eyes for the first time in months. He'd had such a nice streak going of not crying over Atem, too...  _ "I-  _ please. _ "

_ "...He is not," He denied Yuugi's request, and Yuugi bit his lip. "You will be with him again when the time is right." He touched the Millennium Item to Yuugi’s chest, a white light spreading out from its tip. Pleading purple eyes looked into dark, endless blue. So much like Kaiba, yet obviously not Kaiba. Where Kaiba's were like a cold evening sky, this man's were like a vast, calm ocean. He set a hand on Yuugi's shoulder. “Farewell, Vessel of the Pharaoh. We shall meet again, and on that day, I will take you to him.”  _

__

* * *

“ _ Wait!”  _ Yuugi cried, bolting upright and reaching a hand out, tears streaming down his cheeks. The stranger was gone. His chance was  _ gone.  _ “Just…” _ Just let me tell him I love him. _ The heat of the desert faded from his senses, and he felt the pleasant coolness of air conditioning on his skin instead. It slightly ruffled his bangs that were pushed out of place to make room for gauze. His arms were itchy, sore, and hot, and one look down provided the answer- they were wrapped up in bandages, too. His fingers were similarly hidden away, and a peek under the blanket showed some work done to his legs. 

Overwhelmed, he pulled his knees to his chest with a slight sting as he stretched his injuries. He buried his face in them to hide it from the world, and began to weep openly. He hated crying, it just made him feel worse and when it was over he got all stuffy and gross, but… he’d been so close to Atem. Why had that other guy come instead? Did Atem know that once Yuugi saw him, he wouldn’t want to go back?  _ I hate you, you’re a jerk,  _ he cursed his partner, but didn’t mean a word of it. His heavy sobs were really making his head start to throb, but he couldn’t exactly… stop. He’d moved past grieving for Atem at this point, but this entire experience was enough of a mental and physical shock to get him riled up again. Damn Kaiba.

__ "What are you whining about over there?" A raspy voice complained, and Yuugi slightly lifted his head. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear, as they say. To his side, in a second hospital bed, was Kaiba. He was sporting a neck brace and one of his legs was suspended in the air, but he acted as if nothing was wrong. He had a book opened in his hands, more than halfway finished. It must have been a while since he was last conscious.

__ "Kaiba-kun…" Yuugi breathed, sliding the thin white blanket off of his lower body and hopping out of bed. He felt the pain of the deep scratches on his legs, but it wasn't unbearable. He shuffled to Kaiba's bedside, leaned over it as far as his height would allow, and hugged him. Kaiba stiffened up, but couldn't move away, his broken leg making sure of it. 

__ "Why are you  _ touching  _ me?" He spat, glaring like a cornered cat. Yuugi just sighed. He didn't know himself- he was mad at Kaiba, yet also happy to see him. 

__ "Asshole. I thought you  _ died _ ," he mixed the two conflicting emotions together to insult Kaiba while squeezing him. Kaiba huffed and put his book down to push against Yuugi's shoulder, wanting him  _ off. _

__ "Insulting me yet clinging to me like a kicked puppy," He scoffed. "You don't make sense, but I suppose you never have." 

Yuugi released his death grip and wiped his hands on his hospital robe as if Kaiba got dirt on them. " _ You _ don't make sense!" His anger flared, and Kaiba drew back, not expecting it. Yuugi's voice only grew louder, and he pointed an accusatory finger. "You don't care about  _ anything _ , not even  _ yourself _ !" 

"So what?" Kaiba sniffed. "I don't see how that's any of your business." 

Yuugi grabbed the edges of the wrapping around his head and unraveled it as violently as possible. Kaiba watched, expression as neutral as always. Yuugi threw the bandages on the floor as an extra  _ fuck you _ gesture, then got to work on his arms. He hissed as he tugged on newly-healed wounds and fresh stitches, but his eyes were already wet, so it didn't make him noticeably cry. He wanted  _ out  _ of this room,  _ out  _ of this hospital. To get  _ away _ from Kaiba. 

"What are you doing?" Kaiba asked, tone flat and wholly uninterested. Yuugi shot him a glare, fire burning behind those purple eyes. He thought he saw a rare flicker of surprise from Kaiba.

"Leaving! I don't want to be  _ near _ you right now." He dug his teeth into his lip, wanting to sob and scream at the same time.

"You can just admit you're jealous that I saw the Pharaoh," Kaiba said, picking his book back up and opening to where he left off. "If you beg, perhaps I'll even let you go sometime." 

That's it. Yuugi's limit was officially reached, trampled on, buried six feet under. He hardly registered what he was doing as he raised his hand back and slapped his partially unwrapped palm across Kaiba's cheek as hard as he could. Immediately, he clenched his wrist with a whine, the motion upsetting his scratches and causing some to seep blood. The look Kaiba gave him in response reminded him of how he'd reacted to Yuugi telling him that Atem was gone, and not in the puzzle anymore. He swallowed hard, not backing down from his impulsive action.  _ Own up to it, Yuugi. He deserved that. You're not a pushover anymore. _

It was a standoff, now, neither man saying a single thing. Yuugi was the first to break their eye contact, closing his eyes and turning away. He stalked out of the room and ignored any nurses that tried to stop him, freeing the rest of his marred skin on the way. Kaiba watched him go, an unsteady hand rising to touch his red cheek. 

* * *

It was a week or so later when Yuugi went to check for package deliveries as he usually did on Fridays. In their back storage room, instead of stock for the shop, he found a white box bearing the KaibaCorp logo. A sticker with his name and address was plastered on the top.  _ What the hell? _ He had made it  _ very  _ clear that he wanted nothing to do with Kaiba the last time they saw one another, why did the CEO send him  _ mail _ ?

He was too curious about the contents to be petty and send it back, though, so he slid his boxcutter out of his pocket, and sliced open the  _ blue  _ tape. Parting the cardboard flaps revealed to him his own bracelets, shoes, and… clothes that looked too new to be the ones he'd  _ actually  _ worn to KaibaCorp. In his rush to get out of the building, he left all of his personal effects behind, but was too stubborn to go and ask for them back. He assumed Kaiba had just thrown them away, maybe burned them, but… here they were.  _ Mokuba probably sent this,  _ Yuugi rationalized with an eye-roll, taking out his bracelets and clipping them on. He  _ did  _ miss having them, they were a comforting constant. Speaking of the younger Kaiba, he'd been texting Yuugi non-stop every day since the incident, first apologizing and then trying to get Yuugi to come back and  _ talk _ . Yuugi was  _ not _ going back.

Who did Kaiba think he was, anyways? Yuugi only showed up to see if Mokuba was okay, he didn't give two shits about Kaiba.  _ And yet you hugged him like a stuffed animal, _ his brain chided, and he sighed. There was no point in sealing the box back up just to return the replacement clothes, so he picked it up and lugged it to his room. Sugoroku was in the shop right now, so luckily there would be no awkward probing for answers and details.

He sat on his bed and emptied it, placing his shoes by his door and grabbing some hangers for the shirt and pants. As he moved the pants, however, a small piece of folded paper fell from them and drifted to the floor. Yuugi scowled when he unfolded it and saw the large signature at the bottom.

_ "Should it be convenient for you, please make an appearance at KaibaCorp the day after you receive this letter. Your deck is not required. _

_ \- Seto Kaiba" _

Oh, how  _ generous  _ of him to act as if Yuugi had a choice, as if he wouldn't barge into Kame Game and demand an audience with Yuugi.  _ But his leg's broken, _ he remembered with a frown.  _ KaibaCorp has crazy tech, it's probably already healed anyways.  _ One part of the note bugged him immensely. Why did Kaiba feel the need to specify that Yuugi didn't need his deck? Yuugi left it at home in his room now instead of carrying it around everywhere, as it was too full of memories. Maybe Kaiba didn't know that. They never  _ hung out _ casually, the previous time he saw him prior to a week ago was when the world almost got destroyed. He and Kaiba… really didn't know each other that well, all things considered. It was jarring to realize. 

"What should I do…" He sighed, falling back onto the mattress and running a hand through his hair, upsetting the careful gelling job from this morning. "What would  _ you _ do?" He asked the open air around him, hands cupped on his chest. The air, of course, did not answer him. He rolled his eyes. "You'd probably insist that I give him a chance, right?" No reply. Yuugi groaned and dragged his hands down his face, narrowly avoiding smearing his eyeliner. "Since when did  _ I _ become the grumpy one?"  _ Since Atem left you, _ his brain supplied. Yuugi went rigid. He… hadn't talked to himself like this recently. He did when the wound of losing Atem was still fresh, but as he licked it and let it heal, the habit stopped. Why was it back? Did Kaiba seriously affect him enough to reopen the hole in his heart, that he so carefully stitched back together?  _ Did it ever really close? Or have you just been lying to yourself? _

" _ OKAY _ ! Time to go work!" He forced himself upright, a fake smile on his face and a painful chipperness to his tone. He wasn't scheduled to work today, it was his one day off in the week besides Sunday, but he couldn't be by himself for that long. Not right now. His grandpa would appreciate the help, anyways.

* * *

"Do you think he'll come?" Mokuba asked his brother over dinner, the taller still sporting a neck brace and leg cast. The cast was decorated with a crude drawing of  _ Blue-Eyes White Dragon,  _ courtesy of Mokuba's artistic talent. At his side, leaning against his chair, rested a pair of crutches. Kaiba had fallen far from his usual air of perfection since returning home nearly dead. For crying out loud, he was sitting at the dining room table in clothes  _ besides _ his signature trench coat and turtleneck! He wasn't quite sure how to answer his brother, the parcel he'd sent out to his former rival having secretly haunted him all night.

"...I don't know," he decided, placing his chopsticks down. They were eating takeout, at Mokuba's puppy-eyed request. 

"Wow. I don't think I've ever heard you say that," Mokuba stared at him, leaning his lithe body over the table, manners be damned. He'd had a growth spurt in Kaiba's absence, family genetics finally catching up as puberty began. "Are you feeling okay?" 

"What?" Kaiba responded, not understanding why his brother was bothering to ask. Of course he was okay.

"I just… it feels like you're  _ changing _ ? You're even wearing your locket again," Mokuba pointed out. The younger had never stopped sporting his, but Kaiba… he took it off one day and just never felt like putting it back on. Actually, it may have been the day they returned from Egypt. Still, he didn't care about wearing it, not until Yuugi scolded him in his hospital bed, not until he'd held Mokuba's sobbing form in his bruised arms and softly apologized. Kaiba wasn't a man who experienced shame. At least, not until recently. "What happened, big bro? On the other side?" 

Kaiba stared down at his hands. The journey to the Pharaoh was not easy for him to recall, he'd passed out during launch and woken up half-buried in sand. He had to fight his way out of the pod, then trudge through miles of desert and bustling city before he made it to the palace. There, Atem waited for him, but it hadn't gone anywhere close to how Kaiba expected it to.

_ "Pharaoh," Kaiba growled, his body slowly disintegrating as the unfinished, untested equipment failed to keep him entirely stable. "I've come to duel you." _

_ As regal as ever, Atem rose from his throne, the newly-acquired Millennium Puzzle swinging from his neck. Despite his short stature and young face, his power was suffocating, it pushed down on Kaiba like a thousand pounds. When Atem met his challenging gaze, there was no good-natured smirk, no competitive fire in his eyes. No, the Pharaoh seemed… displeased. "You came all this way, just for that?" _

_ "I didn't  _ ask _ for your opinion," Kaiba hissed, and thankfully the guards at Atem's side couldn't understand the cruel words, otherwise they would surely strike him down for the disrespect. "Just duel me." He brandished his duel disk and activated it, holograms of his life points whirring to life. Atem frowned at him. Hard. Kaiba recalled him looking at Pegasus the same way. _

_ "I will not duel you. Go home, Kaiba," Atem ordered, sitting back on his throne. Kaiba's jaw clicked as he clenched his teeth, grinding them together. He tasted blood. _

_ " _ Excuse _ you? You would  _ dare _ deny me?" Kaiba stalked forward, hands in fists. The guards moved to stop him, spears at the ready, but Atem held up a hand.  _

_ " _ Go home,  _ Kaiba. This is no place for the living, one cannot traverse the afterlife as they please." Ruby red eyes bore into him, a cold fire burning in them. Like Atem hated him, hated having to see him. His chest gave a sharp ache at the thought. _

_ "Do you think I care?! I overcame the boundaries of our dimensions to duel you, something mankind has only ever  _ dreamed  _ of!" He pounded a fist against his chest. "You  _ will  _ give me what I came for!" His lungs screamed for oxygen as he yelled. Atem shook his head, expression one of resigned sorrow. _

_ "I will not," he said. "You must leave, now. My guards will show you out."  _

_ " _ Yuugi _!!" Kaiba's tongue slipped, instinctively calling the wrong name. The armed men moved to grab him, forcefully restraining him and leading him back out of the palace gates. His body was chipping away as each second passed. "I'll come back! You can't stop me! I  _ will  _ defeat you!"  _

_ Atem did not respond, sadly turning his head to the side and closing his eyes. Like he couldn't even bear to  _ look  _ at Kaiba. He felt bile in his throat, he heard his pulse in his ears. He screamed, thrashing in the unwavering hold of the guards, feeling his throat tear, tasting iron on his tongue. Still, Atem would not acknowledge him. _

"Big bro!" Kaiba was snapped out of his memories by the voice and hands of Mokuba, gripping him by the shoulder and shaking him. Dull lavender worriedly gazed at him, and Kaiba shook him off, massaging his temples with his fingers. 

"Nothing important," he finally answered his brother, who frowned in response. "I'm fine, Mokuba." 

Mokuba clearly wanted to contest this, but he couldn't. If Kaiba didn't want to talk about something, then he wouldn't, there was no point in pressuring him. The younger Kaiba sat back in his seat, pouting and no longer hungry for the food in front of him. Kaiba, too, had lost his appetite.

"Master Seto?" A small woman popped her head through the entrance to the dining room, and Kaiba raised an eyebrow at her.  _ Go on. _ "There is someone at the door for you." 

Kaiba's lips set in a thin, straight line. "Yuugi, right?" The woman nodded. He figured. He grabbed his crutches and hauled himself to his feet, arms shaking slightly with the effort. He was not formally dressed, he was in whatever stupid tee and pants Mokuba had thrown at him that morning while forcing him out of bed, but it didn't matter. If he was going to speak to Yuugi about what he had in mind, then being less stuffy would make it easier. He ignored the watchful eyes of the maid and his brother as he hopped out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hii im not abandoning this im just slow


End file.
